And on Sunday, as Dodgers fans hurled objects in the vicinity of fellow Padres outfielders Tatis and Jurickson Profar, Merrill was a picture of calm. During a 10-minute delay before the bottom of the seventh, he played rock, paper, scissors with a young fan on the other side of the outfield wall.

The San Diego Padres extended their lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers after Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts crushed back-to-back home runs.

The San Diego Padres found themselves in a familiar position on Saturday night – trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers. In what set out to be a pitcher's duel, the t